Drosera fulva
Encyclopedia
Drosera fulva is a carnivorous plant
in the genus Drosera and is endemic to the Northern Territory
in Australia
. Its semi-erect or prostrate leaves are arranged in a compact basal rosette
. Oblanceolate
petioles
emerging from the center of the rosette are typically 2–3 mm wide at its widest. Red carnivorous leaves at the end of the petioles are small and round at 2–3 mm in diameter. Inflorescence
s are 25–45 cm (9.8–17.7 in) long with white or sometimes pink flowers being produced on 50-or-more-flowered raceme
s from February to May.
Drosera fulva is found in damp sandy soils in ephemeral wet depressions above seasonal flood levels or in seepage areas. It is native to an area around Darwin
from Koolpinyah to Noonamah
in the southeast with a single collection from Port Essington
. Allen Lowrie
speculated in 1996 that D. fulva may also be found on the Cobourg Peninsula
. It was first collected from Port Essington by the botanist appointed to then settlement of Victoria, John W. Armstrong, who was also a botanical collector for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
. Armstrong collected the type
specimens sometime between 1838 and 1840, but it wasn't until 1848 that Jules Émile Planchon
formally described the new species as D. fulva. Until recognised by Allen Lowrie as a distinct species, all other previous authors had treated D. fulva as a synonym of D. petiolaris
.
Australian botanist Allen Lowrie assessed this species' conservation status
as common and not under threat in 1996. It is closely related to D. brevicornis
and D. dilatato-petiolaris
, but differs from those species in the height of its inflorescence, type of leaves in the basal rosette, and size and type of fruit.
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
in the genus Drosera and is endemic to the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Its semi-erect or prostrate leaves are arranged in a compact basal rosette
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
. Oblanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
emerging from the center of the rosette are typically 2–3 mm wide at its widest. Red carnivorous leaves at the end of the petioles are small and round at 2–3 mm in diameter. Inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are 25–45 cm (9.8–17.7 in) long with white or sometimes pink flowers being produced on 50-or-more-flowered raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s from February to May.
Drosera fulva is found in damp sandy soils in ephemeral wet depressions above seasonal flood levels or in seepage areas. It is native to an area around Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
from Koolpinyah to Noonamah
Noonamah, Northern Territory
Noonamah is an outer rural suburban area of Darwin. it is 45km SE of the Darwin CBD. Its Local Government Area is the Litchfield Municipality. The suburb is mostly a rural area, but has been experiencing strong growth in population and development....
in the southeast with a single collection from Port Essington
Port Essington
Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory...
. Allen Lowrie
Allen Lowrie
Allen Lowrie is a West Australian botanist. He is living in Duncraig, a Perth suburb, is married and has two daughters.Lowrie, originally a businessman and inventor, got in contact with the carnivorous flora of western Australia in the late sixties and worked on it as an amateur...
speculated in 1996 that D. fulva may also be found on the Cobourg Peninsula
Cobourg Peninsula
The Cobourg Peninsula is located 350 kilometres east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about 2,100 km², and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 to 30 in five family outstations, but...
. It was first collected from Port Essington by the botanist appointed to then settlement of Victoria, John W. Armstrong, who was also a botanical collector for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
. Armstrong collected the type
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
specimens sometime between 1838 and 1840, but it wasn't until 1848 that Jules Émile Planchon
Jules Émile Planchon
Jules Émile Planchon was a French botanist born in Ganges, Hérault.-Biography:After receiving his Doctorate of Science at the University of Montpellier in 1844, he worked for a while at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London, and for a few years was a teacher in Nancy and Ghent...
formally described the new species as D. fulva. Until recognised by Allen Lowrie as a distinct species, all other previous authors had treated D. fulva as a synonym of D. petiolaris
Drosera petiolaris
Drosera petiolaris is a carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera and is the eponymous species of the petiolaris species complex, which mostly refers to the entire subgenus Lasiocephala...
.
Australian botanist Allen Lowrie assessed this species' conservation status
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
as common and not under threat in 1996. It is closely related to D. brevicornis
Drosera brevicornis
Drosera brevicornis is a small, perennial carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera that is native to the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It grows on gravel slopes and produces white to pink flowers in March and April. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in 1996, though earlier specimens...
and D. dilatato-petiolaris
Drosera dilatato-petiolaris
Drosera dilatato-petiolaris is a carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera and is endemic to Australia, being found in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Its leaves are arranged in a rosette and commonly produces plantlets, eventually forming large clumps that can be over across...
, but differs from those species in the height of its inflorescence, type of leaves in the basal rosette, and size and type of fruit.
See also
- List of Drosera species
- Taxonomy of Drosera